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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Six of the Best 215

"I know that some people who agree with me that Thatcher was a divisive and damaging Prime Minister are boycotting the film. My advice to them is swallow your pride and go and see it." The Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams, our man in the front row of the stalls with a bucket of popcorn, has been to see The Iron Lady.

If you take Stephen's advice then you will probably want to read a three-part survey of the development of Margaret Thatcher's voice and oratory by Max Atkinson.

The Slog casts a scathing eye on the career of shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy.

"The underground remains of Northampton Castle could be brought to the surface under new proposals to regenerate a historic area of the town," reports the Northampton Chronicle & Echo. The picture here shows the only portion of it currently to be seen above ground, and that has been moved from its original position.

Spitalfields Life pays tribute to Ronald Searle by reprinting some drawings he made there in 1953.